Thursday, 30 August 2012

I opted for a cad result simply because the the sheer volume of metal and angles to access would have been a lemel nightmare. Also using a cad solution allowed me to get s VERY precise fit on that beautiful stone.

A few consultations had us arrive at a very simple dual band design, after MANY other designs had been drawn up first,

(these were the rejected designs)

so this simple pencil sketch is what landed the job after 4 other CAD drawings featuring crossover sweeps and diamond halos failed to titillate the client :)

A rudimentary Cad representation of the Pen Sketch

And teh stone was modelled PRECISELY, if you know anythign about Tanzanites you will know they are NOT a setters friend, the like to break VERY easily.

These two images were taken into cad and the dimensions of the physical stone added to extrapolate a perfect stone model

and off to CNC to cut the wax :)

After the mount arrives back on my desk its time for cleanup and preparation and one final fingersize check with the client prior to mounting the stone, the last thing we want is to have to resize this job after setting!

After the client fitted the ring we set about mounting the stone, and start the process by making the while ring ugly again with shellac and other holding polymers.

Monday, 13 August 2012

couples dream rings come to life, in time for their dream wedding!The couple decided an "OFF THE SHELF" solution was NOT what they wanted so they decided to custom make their own wedders with a design special and unique to them both, and they managed to come up with something rather special.. A mix of Ogham and Celtic script, describing their love and vows for each other!Happily we were chosen to bring these rings to life.The design was somewhat complex and of the clients own making, we were furnished with these images in the briefThe ring layouts, Done by client

The profile and Layout of the Gents Ogham Script band

And rather precise spacing and layout of the script

So the work on it began in earnest.. and I mean in earnest!

Turnaround time was marginal and required high speed courier services between us in Melbourne and the Clients in Hong Kong!

and of course.. Disaster struck.. MISCAST!

The gents Ogham band was a casting fail and had to be hand made and hand engraved to make the deadline!

And then we had to remanufacture the ladies band too! No errors or issues, but the clients decided they wanted a thicker band to suite the existing engagement ring.. .. NOTHING like pressure when i job is ALREADY overdue! Soo.... Overnight milling, in the mill room till midnight, next day cast and finish.. JUST IN TIME to ship to client for the wedding!

SO! All is well that ends well! Ladies skip to bottom for pretty ring and wedding pictures if manufacturing videos bore you ;)

Millicent Running the Celtic Bands Ladies

This was filmed in stop motion and sped up to present to client to show progress :)

(groovy soundtracks :) )

Millicent Running the Gents Celtic Band
Millicent Running the Gents Ogham Script Band

OK ladies, pay attention again!

The video of the completed bands as presented to the clients before Speed Courier pickup to Hong Kong :)

And after a month the clients sent us some images from the event itself!

To the Happy couple, from Caro and Myself..

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

(we quote from the emails from the lovely couple)

Andrew

Hi Caro & Chris,

We are back and had a great wedding and time in
Czech Republic...

The 2nd ring Portia absolutely loves - it now fits very
nicely / looks great with her engagement ring - thanks again!!!We are both
so very happy with how they turned out :) Being happy with the rings did
make the ceremony more relaxed and much more enjoyable for us both (thanks for
your help!)

We hope you enjoy the photos and thanks again so much for the help with the
rings.

Cheers and best regards,

Andrew (& Portia)

Portia

Hi Chris & Caro

We cannot thank you enough for the rings. Well, we
simply could not have been able to have a perfect wedding without them. The
2nd one of mine fits perfectly and I proudly show it to my friends. They are
amazed! We know how much extra efforts we had made for us. Will never
forget.

With warmest regardsPortia

From Chris and Caro... to Andrew And Portia..

YOU ARE WELCOME!

What a wonderful experience helping these lovely folk achieve the dream wedding they always wanted!

Tuesday, 7 August 2012

The ring blanks I am using are from Bunnings Hardware, COPCAL seal rings, 60 cents per six pack, very cheap but not useful with that large angle on them, so some machining with lathe was required first. Images follow logically after video :)